Monday, December 28, 2009

2008 Long Island Ducks Carl Everett

Who is this?Carl Everett, a former outfielder with the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos and Seattle Mariners

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Long Island Ducks team set

Where'd I get it? I got the card signed during a Newark Bears game in 2008

How much did it cost? Let's say the team set cost about $8

Why is this so special? Most baseball fans are familiar with Carl Everett's major league resume: a two-time All-Star, Everett finished with over 200 home runs and more than 1,300 hits. Most baseball fans are also familiar with the distractions Everett could cause off the field.

Considering the reputation Everett earned in the majors, I was actually afraid to ask him for an autograph the first time I saw him at an Atlantic League game in 2007. But he turned out to be one of the most fan-friendly players in the league.

At least once per series, he'd stick around for 10 or 15 minutes to sign autographs for kids and adults. There were even some occasions where Everett would go down past third base and sign autographs at the railing for a half-inning or so during the game. (His manager and the umpires made sure not to notice.)

I've never quite figured out how to read Carl Everett's autograph, but he signs it the same way every time.

A quick note on links

I'm only putting autograph-related links in this blogroll. However, if you have a blog or a collector site not specifically about autographs, but with an autograph page or an "autograph" label on your blog posts, I'll put that link here.